elib (German Aerospace Center) · 2010 · 36 citations · 2 references
Open access
EngineeringMechanical EngineeringEnergy SystemsHeat TransferRenewable Energy SystemsEnergy ConversionEnergy StorageHybrid Renewable Energy SystemsSolar Energy SystemsSolar Thermal SystemsStorage TechnologyHeat StorageHybrid Solar Thermal SystemsMicroturbine SystemsSolar Energy StorageSolar Hybrid SystemsSolar Receiver DesignSolar Thermal Energy StorageThermal Storage
A solar-hybrid microturbine system using a tube receiver and a Turbec T100 was tested at the Plataforma Solar de Almería. The design receiver outlet temperature of 800°C was achieved with an open receiver aperture and also using a pressureless quartz window. Measured receiver efficiencies of 39.7% for the open receiver at 782°C outlet temperature and 44% at 803°C outlet temperature for the configuration with the window are much lower than the design values due to design flaws in the cavity insulation and a too low mass flow from the turbine. Nevertheless, the encountered problems are solvable and further lessons learned are given. For a commercial system design using small heliostats of 1m2-mirror area a peak receiver efficiency of >85% was simulated using a face-down receiver configuration with a much smaller aperture. The solar-hybrid system can also be combined with a pressurized pebble-bed heat storage. For an off-grid application a solar share of 82% was simulated.
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